But, in an incredible set of circumstances, the Azzurri hope they could now be lining up in Russia next June.

South American minnows Peru beat New Zealand in their own double-header earlier this month.

The win sparked mass euphoria in the country’s capital Lima as fans celebrated a first World Cup qualification since Spain 1982.

If any association withdraws or is excluded from the competition, the Fifa Organising Committee shall decide on the matter at its sole discretion and take whatever action is deemed necessary. The Fifa Organising Committee may in particular decide to replace the association in question with another association.

Fifa World Cup regulations

But the joy could be short-lived with government interference in the Peruvian FA meaning their heroes could never board the plane.

Congresswoman Paloma Noceda has proposed a new law that will put the country’s football association under control of the Institute of Sport

Fifa takes a hard line on state meddling in football, with Kenya also forced to disband its FA in 2006 after ignoring the governing body’s rulebook.

And national newspaper Libero reports that, if Noceda’s bill is passed, officials in Switzerland could decide to exclude Peru from all Fifa-sanctioned tournaments – leaving one place to fill at Russia 2018.

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Fifa laws state that if any nation withdraws or is excluded from the competition, the Fifa Organising Committee can “decide to replace the association in question with another association” at its “sole discretion”.

That means they are under no obligation to select a nation from the same confederation or to go by official world rankings.

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